Mr Laidlaw said Pcs Harper and Shaw, in an unmarked BMW, drove onto Admoor Lane where they came face-to-face with the SEAT Toledo, driven by Long. Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC said: "What then follows, you leave the car and had the gruesome discovery that body is your colleague. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Almost a year on from his death, three teenagers - Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole - have been convicted of the manslaughter of PC Harper. His funeral was. Earlier today we sought a 36 hour extension to their custody, and this was granted at Reading Magistrates Court. Separately, Harper's mother launched a campaign to require killers of police officers to receive minimum jail terms of 20 years. [11][15], The SEAT was later found at Four Houses Corner travellers' site[20] near Burghfield Common[21] by a police helicopter using thermal imaging. [18], Shaw lost sight of the SEAT but in his pursuit found Harper's stab vest in the road. The victim was likely knocked unconscious from the moment he hit the ground with a post-mortem revealing 'very serious injury to the brain,' the court heard. "He was clearly a man who, in his short time, touched many lives," Mr Barber added. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Pc Shaw told jurors: I thought maybe he slipped on something. [7][8] They had been expecting to go on their honeymoon in mid-August. Det Supt Blaik said PC Harper "paid the ultimate price" for going beyond the call of duty, but added "that is what police officers do up and down the country, day in and day out". [26] The trial, which was being held during the COVID-19 pandemic, resumed on 19 March after two of the jurors were discharged because they were self-isolating. "He will never get to be called 'daddy' or hold his own child - we imagined this was not too far away in the future. Following a pause, he continued: F*** me, theyve already taken it.. [41] For the first time, jurors heard the details of PC Harper's brutal killing - many of which were too graphic for publication. Officers are carrying out house-to-house inquiries, reviewing CCTV footage, interviewing witnesses and conducting forensic examinations, Det Supt Kent added. Sense of injustice lingers after Seoul Halloween crush, Chess gets a risqu makeover. The type of strap has been variously identified as either a crane strap, List of British police officers killed in the line of duty, "PC Harper's mum adds name to petition on 'miscarriage of justice', "Family hails 'hero' PC as police fall silent", "College pays tribute to murdered officer", "PC Andrew Harper murder trial shown footage of search for police officer", "PC Andrew Harper murder inquiry: police search caravan site", "The emotional message PC Harper's widow wrote after Ride of Respect", "Widow thanks 5,000 bikers who joined PC's tribute", "PC murder trial hears quad bike owner's 999 call", "PC Harper dragged along more than a mile to his death, court hears", "Police release PC Andrew Harper's cause of death", "Dashcam footage from killed PC's car shown to jury", "PC Andrew Harper's body seen 'tumbling' in road, court hears", "Colleague 'could not recognise' killed PC", "Self-isolating jurors discharged in PC death trial", "Officer describes moment PC Andrew Harper was dragged by car", "PC was 'dragged behind car for more than a mile', "Police officer dragged behind car for more than a mile in 'completely senseless killing', court hears", "PC Andrew Harper: Ten remain in custody as traveller site is raided", "Family of seven about to lose their home on traveller site gain a day's reprieve", "Charges dropped against man accused of PC Andrew Harper murder", "PC Harper murder trial: Officer died in 'shocking circumstances', "CPS further update in relation to the investigation into PC Harper's death | The Crown Prosecution Service", "PC Andrew Harper murder trial: two admit plot to steal quad bike", "PC murder accused teens admit bike theft plot", "Three teenagers charged with murder of PC Andrew Harper", "PC Andrew Harper murder trial suspended", "PC Harper: Three teenagers who dragged newly married officer to his death show no remorse as they are jailed", "PC Andrew Harper murder trial: Case of 'utmost importance', court told", "PC Andrew Harper's widow writes to PM asking for retrial of killers", "Jury retires in police officer murder trial", "PC Andrew Harper: No truth jurors pressured, says judge", "Bid to increase PC Harper's killers' sentences", "Two of PC Andrew Harper's killers to appeal against convictions", "PC Harper's killers' sentences to be reviewed", "PC Andrew Harper: Henry Long to appeal against manslaughter sentence", "Killer of PC Andrew Harper 'should get life sentence', "Long & Ors v R. [2020] EWCA Crim 1729 (16 December 2020)", "PC Andrew Harper: Hundreds of mourners attend funeral", "Wife of fallen police officer accepts posthumous honour award in his memory", "Police horse named Harper after killed officer", "PC Andrew Harper's widow launches 'Andrew's Law' campaign", "Boost for public safety as four justice bills receive Royal Assent", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Killing_of_Andrew_Harper&oldid=1132311582, This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 07:36. Joe Middleton For Mailonline, Russian pro-war fanatic warns Britain could be 'wiped off the map'. Pc Harper joined as a special constable in 2010 before becoming a police officer a year later, serving in the Roads Policing Proactive Unit based at Abingdon Police Station. "Our grandson Andrew was killed last night while doing his police work. An Old Bailey jury acquitted all three defendants of murder on Friday, instead convicting Cole and Bowers of manslaughter. BerkshireLive email updates: We . Jurors stopped briefly to examine posts at the side of the road on Lambdens Hill before disembarking at the A4 crossing. The detective said the "challenge was always going to be identifying who was in the car at that particular time", due to it being used by several people. The prosecution's case was that it would have been "obvious" to the defendants they were dragging PC Harper behind, but they decided not to stop. 2023 BBC. Their sentences in respect of the manslaughter convictions were not altered. The court convoy was flanked by police cars and more officers lined the curb of the busy A4, which was temporarily closed to allow the jury to cross. [32] On 20 July, a juror was discharged after a prison officer reported that she had mouthed "bye boys" to the defendants in the courtroom. [15] With the quad bike no longer attached, the suspects drove south-east on Lambden's Hill with Harper "lassoed" to the rear of the SEAT vehicle. So proud of him. Mrs Harper told the court she felt "robbed" of her future with her husband, the 28-year-old Thames Valley Police officer she married four weeks earlier. Harper and a fellow officer were responding to a report of a burglary, after which Harper was dragged behind a car for a mile (1.6km), causing his death. [22] A second 17-year-old male was also later arrested. In the call played in court, Mr Wallis said they had hand-held things and were all masked, as he asked the operator to send someone to his house. Deborah Adlam spoke after her son's killers Henry Long, 19, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18, where convicted of manslaughter. Despite their shift ending, PC Harper and his colleague PC Andrew Shaw responded to Mr Wallis's report. PC Andrew Harper was killed while responding to a report of a quad bike being stolen by masked men, PC Harper married his childhood sweetheart Lissie four weeks before his death, Wallingford turned blue for Andrew Harper, Hundreds of motorbikes packed out RAF Benson to pay tribute to PC Harper, Officers lined the streets as the cortege travelled through Oxford, Henry Long, Albert Bowers, and Jessie Cole (l-r), all from travelling families, left school well before they were 16 and had a long history of stealing, The strap PC Harper got caught in was attached to a Seat Toledo, PC Harper was dragged for more than a mile by the car, PC Harper died after his ankles became entangled in a tow-strap attached to a car. Long had pleaded guilty to, and Bowers and Cole were found guilty of, manslaughter. After examining the place where PC Harper fell, the jury got back on the coach and returned to London. 'Almost naked by this point, PC Harper was left as you can imagine with the most appalling of injuries, from which he died there on the road. Chilling footage from the police car played to jurors showed the moment PC Harper left the vehicle to chase the thief. The body of PC Andrew Harper's was 'too damaged' for his family to see, his mum revealed in a heartbreaking victim impact statement. PC Andrew Harper was killed in Berkshire on Thursday, Police officers have been at a caravan site near to the scene where PC Harper was killed, Tributes to PC Harper have been laid at the scene, One message described PC Harper as "Thames Valley's finest", PC Harper got married to his fiance Lissie just four weeks ago. PC Harper's widow Lissie described being in "a lost and endless world" after her husband was killed in the line of duty, a month after their wedding day. Fellow officers have been laying flowers at the scene of the death throughout the morning. I also want to thank the public and the wider police family for their messages of support during this extremely difficult time for everyone affected by Andrews death. One tribute, accompanied by an image of PC Harper smiling with a friend, said: "Harps, I am truly gutted. Mrs Harper said: "Should I speak again of how we were robbed of our future or the plans stolen from us? PC Andrew Harper from the roads policing unit at Abingdon Police Station was attending a reported burglary and was killed while performing his duties. PC Harper, who got married four weeks ago, was killed on the A4 Bath Road. He was just 28 years of age. Bowers, of Moat Close, Bramley, and Cole, of Paices Hill near Reading, confirmed they were passengers in the Seat, but denied ever seeing the police officer. Eyewitness Jack Whittenham, who had been driving on the A4, described seeing Pc Harpers body being dragged on the road and hitting the curb, before he became detached from the Seat. On August 15 last year, PC Harper attended reports of a quad bike theft in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, at about 11.17pm. Deborah Adlam spoke after her son's killers Henry Long, 19 . 'That as a description is supported by the findings at post-mortem, where the pathologist found that PC Harper had suffered a very severe injury to the brain which is likely to have rendered him unconscious, presumably from the back of his head striking the ground.'. PC Harper was killed last August when he was dragged for more than a mile behind a car after trying to intercept quad bike thieves. Andrew Harper death: Man charged with newlywed PC's murder PC Andrew Harper's wife Lissie says her "heart is broken" after the death of her "darling boy". Harper, the passenger of the BMW, alighted the police vehicle and ran to the suspects' vehicle. We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. "The cause of death is consistent with our current belief that Andrew was caught between a vehicle and the road and then dragged for a distance.". "They came round earlier and now they're at my property in Stanford Dingley.". Harper and a fellow officer were responding to a report of a burglary, after which Harper was dragged behind a car for a mile at 50 to 70mph, causing his death. Prosecutor Jonathan Polnay pointed out two CCTV cameras attached to the closed village pub, which had a Union flag flying on the front bearing the message Thank You NHS. In one picture the couple can be seen smiling as they cut their wedding cake with a sign next to them reading "happily ever Harper". Chef, Sarah and Harry.". Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. [6] On 18 July 2019, Harper married his partner of 13 years, Lissie (ne Beckett). An officer has shared the moment he made the gruesome discovery of PC Andrew Harper who was lying gravely injured in a country lane. The cause of death is consistent with our current belief that Andrew was caught between a vehicle and the road, and then dragged for a distance. Pc Shaw turned his vehicle around, expecting to find PC Harper waiting for him. As the retrial began in June, new jurors were placed 2m (6ft 6in) apart, while members of the press and the public followed proceedings on monitors in neighbouring courtrooms. [2], On 18 September, 18-year-old Henry Long and 17-year-olds Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole were charged with murder. A post-mortem revealed the devastating effect of even the initial injuries, thought to have been sustained when the back of PC Harper's head struck the ground. On 16 December 2020 the Court of Appeal dismissed: Follows the tireless campaigning of PC Andrew Harper's family Named after PC Andrew Harper, who was killed in the line of duty in 2019, the law will introduce mandatory life sentences. Mr Laidlaw said the defendants attached a strap between their SEAT Toledo and the handlebars of the quad bike. By
Harper's killing led to the passing of Harper's Law, which introduced a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for anyone convicted of killing emergency workers. Cole ran directly past the police car and dived through the backseat passenger window after the officer came close to catching him in the interception at around 11.38pm, jurors were told. PC Andrew Harper died after being struck with a car as he attended a burglary report three weeks ago. Police officers launched a murder probe following a "serious incident" which took place at around 11.30pm near to the crossroads of Ufton Lane and Lambdens Hill, near Sulhampstead between Reading and Newbury. Deborah Adlam spoke after her son's killers Henry Long, 19, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18, where convicted of manslaughter, saying she now has "no motivation" in life. RIP mate, love you. Mr Wallis told the Thames Valley Police operator: "I've got four masked men outside my house and they've got weapons.
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